The original Mega Man is hailed and feared as one of the most challenging of all NES titles. On the year of the 20th anniversary of the game, Capcom releases Mega Man Star Force in three flavors–Dragon, Leo, and Pegasus. Word is all three are slightly different, but I was only able to kick around in the Leo version.

Although it takes the Mega Man name, the series is almost completely divorced story- and gameplay-wise from the series it recalls. In Mega Man Star Force, an action RPG set in the year 220x, players are tasked with traveling between the real world and the wave world, all the while making Brother Bands. Your character is a sad lonely kid who is depressed and doesn’t go to school. You get to the wave world really early on, when you are given a pair of special glasses. An alien, called an FM, eventually merges with him (you can rename the character from Geo Stelar), and your general goal is to go around taking out enemy FM-ians. The merged character–when inside the wave world–is known as Mega Man.

Fights take place randomly within the Battle Network at certain times during the game in small grids in a 3D perspective. {ad} Your view is behind Mega Man, and movement is somewhat limited. Using collectible battle cards, you slowly build up battle skills to take on enemies. These can be honed to suit the player’s preferences. Cards are organized in folders based on rarity and type, and they are called upon once you enter a battle. Hit Points or HP simply keep track of life, and once Mega Man hits zero, it’s Game Over.

There is also an elemental system (heat, wood, elec, and aqua), where each one is stronger and weaker than another element. Elements are linked to attacks and defenses, and the system allows double damage when a stronger element hits a weaker one. According to Capcom, the different versions of the game allow for a different powered-up transformation based on elemental power and can unleash a special “Star Force Big Bang” attack.

Besides battle, players move throughout the cyber world, real world, and wave world. Switching between the worlds is not much more than a button press away. You can access side quests, which include several bosses who don’t fit within the main storyline. Generally, though, you’ll move around and chat up folks, and try to figure out what do. Some of these are would-be classmates who are eager to get you to go to class.

If you have friends with DSes and Mega Man Star Force, then you can join up through a Brother Band to view and trade personal info, trade battle cards, and even battle their Mega Men via Wi-Fi. The title walks you through the interface very early in the game.

Graphics and sound do not drive the title, but they do not hamper it either. The game is mostly played without the stylus, but it is critical in certain cyber networks.

It’s fairly challenging to get into, but once you get the hang of it, there’s plenty of fun to be had. The main barrier to entry is not story line, but rather attention span. There’s a lot going on, and if you can’t keep track of it all, this game is going to be too hard to “get.”

All told, this is a solid action RPG, whether or not you are a fan of the Mega Man series,and it’s worth at least a rent for just about every action RPG fan.